Beaten Down
by singntheshower
Summary: "Whoa, what happened there?" Kurt asked, pointing to the bruise on her arm.   "Oh, I was dropped in ballet," Rachel said, trying to sound persuasive. Kurt pursed his lips and totally didn't buy it. Post "Bad Reputation".
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Set after the episode "Bad Reputation". After Rachel is slushied, Kurt noticed bruises on her arms. She claims she fell in ballet class. What's really going on?

And I don't own Glee or any of the characters…

BEATEN DOWN

Finn walked out of the choir room before Rachel even finished her song. He knew that "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was supposed to be her way of saying sorry for the whole Run Joey Run incident, but he was so hurt that he couldn't even sit in the same room. Finn also knew that his mom would be totally disappointed in him for not even waiting until the song was over before leaving – she'd tell him he was being very rude. At that moment, Finn didn't care. The girl he cared about more than almost anyone else had used him.

He knew that Puck and Jesse were both pissed too. Well, he was sure that Jesse was probably pissed the most of all 'cause he was Rachel's _boyfriend_ and everything…

Just thinking that made Finn's stomach hurt. He could tell that Rachel was happy with Jesse and it was his fault that she went out with him in the first place, but it didn't hurt any less. When Rachel came to him for help with "Run Joey Run," he thought that she had picked _him_ over Jesse, which was kinda awesome since Jesse was definitely a better singer and dancer than him. He thought that this would bring him and Rachel closer. He did tell Jesse that he would _try_ to stay away from Rachel.

Then, he watched that terrible mini movie and realized that she had just used him. It was kind of like she gave him a little bit of hope and then just ripped it away.

As Finn drove home, the incident at the bowling alley popped into his head. But it wasn't the kiss with Rachel that he was thinking about; Finn was focused on how he totally used Rachel to come back to Glee Club. Sure, he was trying to get a scholarship to support what he thought was his kid, but he still _used_ her. That kiss was totally awesome though…

By the time he got up to his room, Finn had decided that he would forgive Rachel Monday at school. The way she sang that song made him realize that she really was sorry (and she totally kicked that song in the balls). And he didn't really want to be so pissed at her for using him when he did the same thing. He was sure that there was a word for what he was being, but he couldn't think of it.

Maybe he could even see if she wanted to go bowling again. Since Jesse was obviously so pissed at her, Finn was almost positive that she wouldn't have any plans…

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn got up a little bit earlier Monday morning, hoping that he would run into Rachel before his first class. He ran through the kitchen and was surprised to see that his mom had bought those tiny donuts that Finn loved. He had told her last night that he had to leave early for school today so that he could forgive Rachel.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so glad! I'm sure she didn't really mean to hurt your feelings so badly," Carole said while stirring the pasta.

"Yeah, I know," Finn said quietly. "Plus I haven't always been very nice to her, so I can't really be mad forever."

Carole looked up quickly. "I really hope that you've apologized to her. I didn't raise you to be cruel to others," Carole said

"I know you didn't, mom. I'll talk to her tomorrow and everything'll be fine," Finn said.

Carole smiled. "I'm glad you're being so grown up about this," she said.

Finn smiled back at his mom. "So when's dinner gonna be done?" he asked.

-glee-glee-glee-

After stuffing a couple donuts into his mouth and washing it down with some milk, Finn ran back into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He couldn't apologize to Rachel with milk breath.

The hallways were kind of deserted this early in the morning. Finn never really came this early unless he had an early football practice or something, but he knew Rachel would be here. She always came early.

He couldn't help but smile when he turned the corner and saw that she was at her locker. He also couldn't help but realize how short her skirt was on this particular morning. What? He's a guy after all.

As he got closer, he realized that Rachel didn't seem to be her usual chipper self. She seemed kind of tired, which was really weird since most days it seemed like she was running on an endless supply of energy. One of the assholes on the football team started a rumor that she did crack. Finn threatened to kick his ass and that rumor cleared up fairly quickly.

"Hey Rach," Finn said with a small smile. He came to a stop right by her locker. She looked up at him and he could totally tell that she didn't get much sleep last night. The area under her eyes looked a bit dark and she wasn't smiling at all. She still tried to sound polite, though.

"Good morning, Finn," Rachel said.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Finn asked.

"Well, you already are, but feel free to continue," she said patiently.

"Cool. Well, I kinda wanted to tell you that I'm not mad at you anymore. I haven't always been so nice to you, either, so I don't think it's fair that I stay mad," Finn said. Rachel looked up from her planner and looked right at Finn. She smiled only a little, but at least it was something.

"Thank you, Finn. That really means a lot," Rachel said. "I would like to apologize again for my actions since no one seemed to realize that my performance Friday was an apology…"

"I knew it was," Finn said quickly. "And I'm sorry for walking out. I was kind of a jerk for doing that."

"You don't have to apologize. I realize that your reactions, and Jesse and Noah's as well, were all deserved. I should have thought more about the consequences of my behavior. I truly regret that I was so neglectful of your feelings," she said.

"Well, apology accepted," Finn said with a smile. Rachel smiled just a little and nodded before turning back to her day planner. "So…" Finn said awkwardly. "I was wondering if you wanted to go bowling or something… Just to hang out, you know."

Rachel looked back up at him quickly. "I don't know about that, Finn," she said uneasily.

"We're friends, Rach. And friends go bowling," Finn said. "It'll be my treat. We'll get some pizza and everything." Rachel stopped for a moment and thought about it.

"I'd have to ask Jesse," she finally said.

"What? Is he gonna forbid you from hanging out with your friends or something?" Finn said with a chuckle.

"I just can't really afford to make him angrier, Finn. After this whole debacle, he's quite upset with me," Rachel said quietly.

"Well, I forgave you pretty quickly, so maybe he'll come around," Finn said optimistically.

Rachel turned back to her locker. "Yeah, maybe," she said, sounding unsure. Finn could totally tell that something was off with Rachel. She was just acting… different. Finn reached his hand up and placed it on Rachel's shoulder in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

Finn was totally and completely surprised that she jerked away so quickly with a low "Ouch!"

"Sorry!" Finn said quickly. "I didn't… Did I hurt you? 'Cause I've been lifting weights, but I didn't think I was that strong already…"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Finn," Rachel said quickly, trying to regain her composure. "I had a little incident in my ballet class. The person that was supposed to be lifting me dropped me and I landed on my arm. I'm just a little sore."

"Oh," Finn said. "Sorry to hear that."

"I'll be just fine," Rachel insisted.

"Good. So, uh, will you ask if you can go bowling tonight?" Finn asked.

"I definitely will," Rachel said with another small smile. "I'll let you know by Glee."

Finn smiled more widely. "Cool," he said enthusiastically. "I'm gonna go to the weight room but I'll see you in Spanish."

"See you then," Rachel said. Finn walked away while hoping that Rachel could come hang out with him tonight. He didn't really have much else to do and Rachel was pretty cool and stuff, so they'd have fun. And if she felt like kissing him again, he'd be totally cool with that too…

-glee-glee-glee-

When he saw Rachel in Spanish, he realized that she still seemed kind of out of it. She sat next to him and stayed quiet during the entire class, just taking notes. Finn was pretty sure that Rachel had never stayed that quiet for that long of a period of time before. He would try and get her attention and smile, but she would just give him a tiny smile in return.

At the end of class, she got up and grabbed her backpack. He noticed that she winced a little when she picked it up and he remembered that she had hurt herself at ballet.

"Do you want me to carry that for you, Rach?" Finn asked. "It's not that you're weak or anything! Your backpack just looks pretty heavy and you told me you arm was sore…"

Yet again Rachel smiled at him just a little. "That's very sweet of you, Finn, but I can manage," she insisted.

"If you need help, just let me know," Finn said. Rachel nodded before walking out of the classroom

Rachel walked down the hallway more slowly than usual. She couldn't be her usual chipper self after what happened Friday night.

Jesse had come over to Rachel's and she was really hoping that they could talk and that he would forgive her. She was honestly sorry and regretted even making the Run Joey Run video and she just wanted to make sure he knew that.

Rachel sat on her bed, feeling a little uneasy. Jesse was pacing her room, obviously trying to control his anger.

"Can you please just say something?" Rachel asked in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.

Jesse stopped pacing and looked at her with anger in his eyes. "What do you want me to say, Rachel? That I'm extremely embarrassed? That I'm pissed off? That I can't believe you would do something so stupid?" he shouted at her. Rachel was glad that her fathers weren't home to hear this.

"Jesse, I really didn't mean to embarrass you," Rachel said with an ounce of begging in her voice.

"What did you really think you were going to accomplish then?" he shouted. "You knew that I wouldn't approve of this and that's why you didn't tell me about it in the first place! And the idiot that you are played it in front of the guys that you knew would be upset by it! You knew exactly what you were doing! You wanted to make it like you had three guys pining over you when that will never happen, Rachel! You aren't desirable enough for that!" he spat at her.

Rachel just sat there and took it. This was nowhere near the first time that Jesse had exploded on her. This was actually him being quite tame when it came to the insults. He would insist all the time that she was lucky he was with her and that the only decent thing about her was her talent. Heck, Jesse even swore that her talent wasn't _that_ great to begin with. He made her practice until she was sure that her larynx was practically bleeding. Now, Rachel Berry was a bit of a control freak when it came to practicing, but Jesse took it to a whole other level.

The sad part was, Rachel was starting to believe him. After all, she didn't even have any real friends; most of the Glee Club just wanted her around for her talent. And even Finn didn't want to be her boyfriend because she wasn't good enough for him. Jesse might have yelled at her, but it was because he cared. Right? And the only times that he actually hit her, she had deserved it. Rachel learned rather quickly that speaking her mind would not be tolerated by Jesse.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said quietly.

Jesse laughed harshly. "Do you really think that saying sorry is going to repair the damage you caused? Now everyone's going to think that I'm not a good enough boyfriend for even someone like you!"

"No one's going to think that," Rachel said quietly. "I'm sure that by next week they'll forget about it."

"Do you really want to know what pisses me off more than anything?" Jesse shouted. "The fact that you chose a Neanderthal and a sex machine to play opposite you. I mean, how long did it even take an idiot like Finn to remember the lines? And how long did it take Puck to hit on you?" Jesse shouted.

Rachel stood up in front of Jesse. "You can say whatever you want about me, but I won't let you talk about Finn or Noah!" she shouted back at him.

Rachel instantly regretted the words when Jesse pulled his fist back and punched her in the arm. The tears sprung instantly to her eyes and she held in a sob. If she started crying, that would only make him angrier.

"Now look what you made me do!" Jesse shouted. "If you would just keep your mouth shut, I wouldn't lose my temper!" Rachel took a seat back on her bed and cradled her arm. "I need some time to think. I'll call you later," he said. Then, Jesse just strolled out of the room. No goodbye, no kiss, nothing… But he was right. She shouldn't have yelled at him like that. She hated that she always made him lose his temper.

Rachel was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even see Karofsky coming at her with a blue slushie in hand. He did have her full attention when he threw it in her face.

"A little berry for Berry," Karofsky chuckled before walking away. Rachel took a deep breath before turning back toward the direction of her locker. It was then that she ran into Kurt.

"I'm so sorry!" Rachel squeaked. She knew that he would completely freak out if she got any slushie on his clothes.

She did sigh in relief when she realized that Kurt had on his rain coat.

"Don't be sorry. I guess you didn't get the memo that the football team grabbed slushies after lunch," Kurt surmised.

"I wasn't aware. I've been a little preoccupied today," Rachel said quietly.

Kurt looked at her and realized that she looked very different from the Rachel Berry that annoyed the crap out of him on a daily basis. She looked almost… depressed. Instead of commenting on the fact that she shouldn't be upset that an outfit like _that_ got ruined, he smiled a little at her.

"Give me your locker combination and I'll grab your spare clothes. You go in the bathroom and wash up," he said. Rachel smiled just a little and he realized that it didn't reach her eyes.

"Thank you, Kurt," she said before pulling out her phone to text him the combination.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel walked in the deserted bathroom and went over to the sink to survey the damage. Her hair didn't really get any slushie in it; her shirt was totally soaked and her face was already sticky though.

With the precision of someone who had been regularly slushied, Rachel managed to pull of her shirt without getting any of the slush in her hair. She had a tank top on underneath her shirt and her skirt was dry, so she only needed a replacement shirt. While waiting for Kurt, she wiped the sticky stuff off of her face before staring at herself in the mirror. Her gaze zeroed in on the dark bruise on her right upper arm. She knew that it would take a while for this bruise to go away.

You could still see the one Jesse made last week on her other arm. It would be pretty easy to make out the shapes of fingers that wrapped around her arm. Rachel had deserved that one, too, after insisting that Jesse had messed up on the chorus of the song they were practicing for Glee.

She jumped a little when the door to the bathroom opened and Kurt strolled in, holding a shirt in his hands.

"I picked this one out. It matches the skirt way better than the other shirt did," Kurt said. Rachel smiled a little and grabbed it from him.

"Thank you," she said. She grabbed the shirt and turned away from him.

"Whoa, what happened there?" he asked, pointing to the bruise on her arm.

"Oh, I was dropped in ballet," Rachel said, trying to sound persuasive. Kurt pursed his lips and totally didn't buy it. As she put the shirt on, he noticed another bruise on her other arm that distinctly looked like someone had grabbed her too hard. Kurt stood there, deep in thought, as Rachel adjusted the shirt and combed through her hair with her hands.

"Are you okay, Rachel?" Kurt asked.

Rachel looked up at him in confusion. "Yes, I'm fine. Why?"

"You just seem a little off," he said, scrutinizing her expression.

"I'm just worried. Noah is still upset with me and Jesse is still fairly angry," she explained.

"What about Finn?" Kurt asked.

"He told me that he had forgiven me this morning," Rachel said with a hollow smile.

"That's good to hear," Kurt said. "I hope you realize what you did, though…"

"Trust me, Kurt, I know," she said a bit angrily. "I have been told constantly how foolish I acted and I know that I completely deserve everything that happens to me as a result of my behavior." Kurt watched as she subconsciously rubbed her arm. He instantly knew what was going on. Or at least he had a hunch… Now it was time for him to do some digging.

"Well, I'm glad that Finn has at least forgiven you. It shouldn't take Puck much longer. As for Jesse…"

"He'll take a while. He has a bad temper," Rachel said quietly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kurt asked again.

"I'll be just fine once all of this blows over," Rachel insisted. "Now, I must get to class."

Kurt watched as she winced a little while picking up her backpack. He knew that Rachel took all of her books to every class with her (she told him that you could never know when you would need one), but he also knew that her arm must be hurting. And if Kurt was right, he knew who was to blame. Well, he had to rule out one other person first.

"Thanks again, Kurt," Rachel said before she walked out of the door.

Kurt simply nodded and watched her walk away.

It's true that Rachel Berry was probably one of the most annoying people on the planet, but even she didn't deserve to be treated like this…

-glee-glee-glee-

Kurt scanned the hallways for a certain Mohawk-wearing bad boy who would help him figure out what was going on. Kurt checked by the dumpster, but was surprised that Puck wasn't currently throwing anyone inside. After checking everywhere else in the school, Kurt finally entered the last place he hadn't checked and the one place he didn't think Puck would go… the library.

Kurt did roll his eyes when he saw what Puck was trying to do.

"Porn sites are blocked on school computers," Kurt whispered to Puck while taking an open seat next to him.

"I figured that out, thanks," Puck huffed before closing the web browser. "What do you want?"

"Are you still angry with Rachel?" Kurt asked.

"Maybe a little. Why?" Puck asked.

"You didn't happen to… lose your temper with her or anything, have you?" Kurt asked, trying to sound offhanded.

"I haven't even seen Berry since Glee Friday," Puck said. His eyebrows then knit together in confusion. "Why do you wanna know?"

"She just seems upset and I was trying to figure out why. Finn's already forgiven her, so it's not because of him and you were next on my list," Kurt said.

"Well, I didn't blow up at her. Ask that lame ass boyfriend of hers," Puck said.

"He isn't in school today," Kurt said. "I wonder why…" he mused out loud.

"Well I don't really give a crap," Puck said "I gotta go throw a slushie at someone." Kurt rolled his eyes as Puck got up.

"You know, you don't have to do that, Puck," Kurt said.

"Yeah I do," Puck said. "It's practically an unwritten rule." Kurt watched in amazement as Puck walked away without a care in the world. Kurt felt bad for the person he was about to toss a slushie at. Unless it was Jacob Ben Israel.

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn walked into the choir room after lunch, hoping that Rachel was still there. He smiled when he saw her sitting in her usual spot.

"Hey, Rach. Why weren't you at lunch?" Finn asked, taking the seat next to her.

"I was practicing," Rachel said nonchalantly.

"What song are you practicing now?" Finn asked, genuinely interested.

"'Hello' by Lionel Ritchie," Rachel said.

Finn looked confused. "You and Jesse just performed that last week. Why are you still practicing it?" he asked.

Rachel shrugged. "Jesse insists that I was a little shaky on the bridge. I'm just trying to perfect the song," she said.

Finn laughed. "Jesse seriously needs to get his hearing checked. I think you sounded incredible," he said. Rachel looked up at him and smiled a little.

"Thank you, Finn," Rachel said.

"Anytime," he replied quickly. "So, can you come bowling?"

"I'm not sure. Jesse's been ignoring me all day and I haven't had the chance to ask him," Rachel said.

"Well maybe he won't care then. You could give him another day before you see if he forgives you yet and just hang out with me at the bowling alley," Finn said, trying to sound persuasive.

Rachel looked up at Finn and realized that he really wanted to hang out with her. She couldn't stop the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach. Rachel knew that she was still totally and completely in love with Finn Hudson. Jesse knew it too and it led to plenty of arguments. Plus, since Jesse was probably going to ignore her the rest of the night, he wouldn't even know if she went anywhere. It was then that she made up her mind.

"I would love to go, Finn," Rachel said with a small smile.

"Awesome," Finn said enthusiastically. "I'll pick you up at six." They both looked up as the rest of the Glee club filed in. They smiled at one another as Glee started. Finn noticed that Rachel looked a little happier than before. He was glad that he could help her feel a bit better.

By the time Glee was over, Finn had managed to let it slip that he and Rachel were going bowling. Before they could say anything, everyone except for Artie and the Cheerios had practically invited themselves. Rachel was a little disappointed that it wouldn't just be her and Finn, but he cheered her up.

"I promise we'll be on the same team," he said with a smile. She smiled back easily. They both looked up when Puck walked up to Rachel and stood in front of her.

"Berry, I just wanted to tell you that I'm not really pissed anymore. Us Jews gotta stick together," he said.

"Thank you, Noah. That's very… sweet of you to say," Rachel said.

"Yeah, I know. Just be prepared to get your ass kicked at bowling tonight," Puck said.

"I wouldn't get ahead of myself if I were you, Noah," Rachel said. "I've been practicing."

"Really?" Finn asked. Rachel looked at him with a small smile on her face.

"Really. I've needed a distraction lately and I wanted to become a better bowler," Rachel said.

"So this has nothing to do with you being competitive and me beating you last time?" he asked with a smile.

"That might have something to do with it," Rachel admitted, making Finn laugh.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel left the choir room after Glee was over. Finn was happy that she seemed to be in a better mood. And while they would have company at the bowling alley tonight, Finn was still looking forward to spending some time with Rachel.

He got up from his seat and was about to walk toward the door when a high voice called him.

"Wait, Finn," Kurt said. Finn turned and Kurt stopped in front of him. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay…" Finn said apprehensively.

"It's about Rachel," Kurt said. "I know that the two of you are… close. I've noticed something and I really think that I should tell you since you care about her so much."

"Dude, you're kind of making me nervous," Finn said uneasily.

"Okay, well, Rachel got slushied today and I grabbed a change of clothes for her. While she was changing, I noticed a particularly large bruise on her arm…" Kurt said.

"She told me she got hurt at ballet practice," Finn said, feeling confused.

"She told me the same thing but then I noticed another mark on her other arm," Kurt said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Finn asked.

"This mark was in the shape of fingers wrapping around her arm, Finn," Kurt said.

Finn was still confused and Kurt began to get impatient. "I think someone's hurting her, Finn!" he said.

Finn thought for a moment. "Wait. You don't think Jesse's doing that to her, do you?" Finn asked.

"He's the most likely candidate. Rachel mentioned to me that he's angry with her and that he has a terrible temper," Kurt said. Finn had to stop and take a deep breath for a moment. He was starting to get pissed off.

"So what do we do about it?" Finn asked.

"I think we need some evidence that he's the one actually hurting her. I mean, Rachel didn't tell you about it, so she'll probably deny that he did it. Unless we get something against him, we can't do anything about it," Kurt said.

"How about me, Puck, and the rest of the guys just kick his ass?" Finn offered.

"That could make him angry and he'll take it out on her," Kurt said. Finn looked down in defeat.

"Until then, what do I do?" Finn asked.

"Try and spend as much time with her as you can. If she's with you, she's safe," Kurt said. "And if Jesse's around, just keep an eye on him."

Finn nodded. "I can do that," he said confidently.

"Just don't let Rachel think we're suspicious of anything. She'll probably try and hide it and we'll never catch him," Kurt said.

"Right. Kurt, why do you think she didn't tell us?" Finn asked, sounding a little hurt.

"I don't know, Finn. She's probably just scared or something," Kurt said.

"Why do you care all of a sudden? You practically hate Rachel," Finn said.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't hate her. Her fashion sense makes me want to hang myself, but not even someone like her deserves something like this," Kurt said.

Finn nodded. "Thanks for telling me, Kurt," Finn said.

"Again, I know how much you care about her," Kurt said.

"Is it that obvious?" Finn asked.

"Do you not remember 'Hello, Goodbye'? The tension between you two was palpable," Kurt said.

"I'm not really sure what that means," Finn said after a second.

"It means that it's _very_ obvious, Finn," Kurt said with a smile, making Finn blush just a little.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel really wanted to wear a tank top since she knew how hot the bowling alley was, but she really couldn't let anyone see her bruises. That would just bring attention to the subject unnecessarily and it was all her fault that the marks were there in the first place. After looking at her phone and realizing that Jesse was still ignoring her, she got ready for the Glee club group outing.

Rachel was really hoping that Finn and the others would help take her mind off of things and make her feel more like herself again. She had already gained Finn and Noah's forgiveness, and now she just needed to wait for Jesse. He might get over this, but she knew that it was just a matter of time before Jesse was angry at her for something else.

She called her fathers, who were away on business, and they were happy that she was going out with the Glee club. They feared that Jesse was taking up too much of her time and were glad to see her hanging out with friends. Rachel didn't mention to them that no one in Glee was really her friend. Well, except for Finn. And maybe even Noah. Other than that, they just wanted her around for her talent.

-glee-glee-glee-

"How the hell did you do that?" Finn asked in amazement as Rachel took her seat. She had just finished the frame of bowling with an impressive spare. "Not many people can pull off the seven ten split!"

Rachel smiled a little. "I told you I've been practicing, Finn. I'm nothing if not a perfectionist."

"I'm just glad you're on my team," Finn said loudly, looking at Puck.

"Shut it, Hudson. It's not my fault I'm stuck with Kurt," Puck said, frowning at Kurt who was currently watching his bowling ball go down the gutter.

"I'm trying my best!" Kurt insisted as he turned back toward the group. The rest of the Glee club was in the next lane, separated into teams. Tina and Mike were a team; their scoreboard simply said "The Asians". Mercedes was teamed up with Brittany, who decided that bowling _was_ fun, no matter what Santana had said.

"We're totally winning this thing, Rach," Finn said proudly, looking up at everyone else's scores.

"Don't rub it in," Puck said from the seat next to Rachel. Rachel jumped a little when she heard her cell phone ring. She rooted around in her purse and pulled out the bejeweled contraption and looked down at the caller ID.

"It's Jesse," Rachel announced to the group, standing up.

"Just ignore it," Finn said, going to grab his bowling ball for his next throw.

"I can't," Rachel said quietly. She opened the phone and pressed the green button. "Hello, Jesse," she said pleasantly. She took a few steps away from the group so that she could talk to him.

Kurt walked up to Finn and whispered in his ear. "Just keep bowling. I'll go snoop," he said. Finn nodded and turned his attention back to the bowling lane in front of him.

Kurt walked toward Rachel who was standing with her back toward him. He could just barely make out what she was saying.

"No, I'm not here with just Finn. Most of the Glee club is here," she said quickly, sounding worried. Kurt waited a moment for her to speak again. "I would have told you, but you've been ignoring me for days… No, I didn't mean that… I'm sorry for not telling you, okay… Why are you coming?... No, of course I want to see you… But we're talking now… Okay, fine. I'll see you in a few minutes," Rachel said. The entire time she was speaking, Kurt could tell that she was a little uneasy, and maybe even scared.

Just before Rachel turned back around, Kurt walked quickly back over to Finn.

"Jesse's coming here," Kurt whispered in his ear.

"Why?" Finn asked.

"I don't know," Kurt said. They both looked up when Rachel rejoined the group.

"Jesse's going to be here in a few minutes. He wants to talk," Rachel said while taking her seat.

"But you were just talking to him," Puck said confusedly.

Rachel shrugged a little and winced since her arm was still sore. "He said what he needed to say should be said in person," Rachel said.

"You're gonna finish the game though, right?" Finn asked, not wanting him to make her leave.

"Of course, Finn," Rachel said with a small smile. "I won't be too long."

Minutes later, Rachel's cell phone went off again with a text from Jesse.

"I'll be right back," Rachel said. Finn and Kurt both looked at her worriedly as she walked away.

"Should we go out there?" Finn asked Kurt.

"I'll go," Kurt said, getting up. "You just stay here. I'll come and get you if anything happens."

Finn watched as Kurt walked out the doors as well.  
>"What are you guys talking about?" Puck asked, feeling confused.<p>

"Rachel's been having some… trouble with Jesse," Finn said quietly so that the rest of the Glee club wouldn't overhear.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Jesse's been… you know, _hurting _her," Finn said in an even lower voice.

Puck jumped back in shock for a moment. "Are you serious?" he asked.

Finn nodded. "Kurt's seen bruises. And you know she's been acting funny," Finn said.

Puck sat in thought for a moment. "Well, St. Jackass is here, right? I say we go and punch his face in," Puck said, sounding angry.

"We can't," Finn said. "Kurt said we have to wait until we have more proof."

"Son of a bitch," Puck cursed under his breath.

-glee-glee-glee-

Kurt walked rather slowly so that Rachel wouldn't know that he was following her. He walked out of the doors to the bowling alley and looked around, but he didn't see Rachel or Jesse anywhere. His brow knitted in confusion. Then, something caught his attention. Someone was yelling. And that someone sounded like Jesse. Kurt could tell that the sound was coming from around the corner of the building, so he walked quietly to the corner.

Kurt then carefully peeked around the corner. He saw Rachel standing with her back against the building. She was looking down, almost like she was ashamed as Jesse was standing in front of her, yelling.

"I can't believe you would come here with them! I'm your boyfriend! How the hell could to do this to me?" Jesse shouted.

"Finn is my friend," Rachel replied quietly. "And it's not like we're here on a date. Most of the glee club is here, Jesse, so I don't really see the problem here."

"That's because you're an idiot!" Jesse yelled. Kurt gasped quietly, but stayed rooted in his spot. "How would you feel if I was hanging around with an ex-girlfriend of mine, just claiming to be friends?"

"Finn is my friend, Jesse," Rachel insisted quietly.

"You don't have any friends, Rachel," Jesse said venomously. "No one but me can even tolerate you for an extended period of time. I would say that they just want you around for your talent, but even that can use some work!"

Kurt was seriously started to get pissed off at Jesse. Only Kurt was allowed to make Rachel miserable. But even then, he wasn't this cruel.

"You should go home and calm down," Rachel said. "I'm going to finish my game." She turned and tried to walk away from Jesse, but he grabbed her shoulders and shoved her against the wall. Kurt winced just watching. He could only imagine how much that hurt.

"If you go back in there, you're going to regret it," Jesse snarled. Instead of replying, Rachel just squeezed past him and ran right to where Kurt was.

Not wanting to get caught snooping, Kurt quickly ran toward the entrance to the bowling alley and pulled the door open quickly, running inside. He didn't know how far behind him Rachel was, but he didn't stop running until he got back to his spot.

"What's going on?" Finn asked in confusion after watching Kurt _run_. He never even ran in gym class.

"Rachel almost caught me snooping," Kurt said quietly, huffing and puffing a little.

"Did anything happen?" Finn asked quietly, stepping closer to Kurt so that the others wouldn't overhear.

Kurt nodded. "I'll tell you in a few," he replied just as quietly.

Finn looked up and saw Rachel walking toward them. "Hey, Rach," Finn said warmly. "It's your turn," he said, pointing to the scoreboard.

Finn noticed that Rachel looked rather pale and slightly scared, but she used her acting skills and plastered on a warm smile before walking over to get her ball. While she was getting ready to bowl, Finn sat next to Kurt.  
>"What happened?" he asked.<p>

"Jesse said some horrible things to her. He called her an idiot and said she had no friends and wasn't talented. She tried to walk away and he shoved her against the wall. He said if she came back in here, she would regret it," Kurt said quickly.

Finn had to pause and take a deep breath before he punched something.

"But she came in here anyway," he said, sounding slightly amazed.

"She kept insisting that you were her friend. I would imagine that she feels safer with you and the rest of us than with him," Kurt concluded.

That thought made him feel slightly better, but he was still pretty pissed off.

"We're going to have to keep a close eye on her," Finn said.

"So you're taking his threat seriously?" Kurt asked.

"Of course," Finn said. "He's hit her before. It wouldn't surprise me if he did it again."

"I'm really worried about her," Kurt said.

"Yeah. Me, too," Finn said. They both looked up at the same time and saw Rachel get yet another impressive spare. She turned around and they both smiled at her proudly.  
>"I told Puck about it," Finn said to Kurt quietly. "I figured that he could help us kick Jesse's ass when we can actually do it."<p>

Kurt nodded. "Let him know what happened tonight. Rachel needs all the help she can get," Kurt said. "Even if she didn't ask for it."

Finn nodded and stood up just in time to high five Rachel. He then pulled her into a warm hug, surprising her. She hugged him back tightly, smiling a little.

"Thank you, Finn. But what was that for?" she asked as he let go.

"You're just awesome. Don't forget that," he said firmly. Rachel continued smiling just a little but nodded.

-glee-glee-glee-

"You were seriously awesome, Rach," Finn said with a smile from the driver's seat. "I can't believe you got that good so fast."

"I'm very dedicated when I set my goals," Rachel said proudly.

"Yeah, I know," Finn agreed. It was then quiet for a few moments.

"Are you okay, Rach?" Finn asked. "I noticed that you were a little… distant when you came back from talking to Jesse."

"I'm fine, Finn," Rachel said while looking out the window.

"If you say so… Did he forgive you yet?" Finn asked, trying to make it like he was oblivious to what was going on.

"Not quite…" Rachel said uneasily.

"Well he's an idiot then," Finn said firmly. There were some other words he would like to have used, but he didn't want to make Rachel suspicious. He was expecting a reaction out of Rachel. He really wanted her to agree with him or something, but she just sat there quietly.

Minutes later, Finn pulled up to Rachel's house. "Thanks for tonight. It was fun… and it was something I really needed," she said with a small smile.

"Anytime, Rach. Just let me know when you wanna go bowling again and we'll get some people together and kick their asses," Finn said with a smirk. Rachel smiled a bit more widely.

"I'll see you tomorrow in Glee," Rachel said. Finn nodded and she got out of the car. Before she could close the door, Finn called her name.  
>"Yes, Finn?" she said confusedly.<p>

"If you need anything at all, call me anytime. I don't care if it's two in the morning. Just call me, okay?" Finn said intensely. Rachel was a little confused as to why he would say this… it was almost like he knew something bad was going on.

"I will. Thanks for that," Rachel said.

"Do you promise you'll call?" Finn said.

"I promise," Rachel said firmly. "Goodnight, Finn."

"Night, Rach," Finn said. Rachel smiled once more and closed the truck door before walking toward her house. It was dark, so she knew that her dads weren't home. She figured they were working late again. She found her keys rather quickly and stepped inside the dark house, feeling a little uneasy.

Once Finn thought she was safely inside, he pulled away from the curb. Puck was already at his house, waiting to start a Call of Duty mini-marathon. They both decided that honing their COD skills was more important than doing homework.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel locked the door before turning on the light next to the front door. She then turned around and practically jumped a foot in the air.

"Jesse! What-?" Before she could finish her sentence, Jesse St. James raised his hand and slapped Rachel across the face. The force of the hit sent her to the ground.

"I told you that you would regret going back in there, Rachel," Jesse snarled. Rachel's lip was throbbing. She put her hand to it and pulled it away and was surprised to see blood on her fingers.

"You need to leave," Rachel said bravely from the ground. "You just broke into my house and assaulted me. Go before I call the police."

"Oh, really?" Jesse shouted. He reached down and grabbed her by the front of her dress and pulled her abruptly to her feet. He then shoved her back against the door before bringing his hands around her neck. "You need to think twice before threatening me," he said, squeezing tighter and tighter.

Struggling for air, Rachel did the only thing she could think of – she kicked Jesse in the balls. He immediately let go of her and dropped to one of his knees. To an outsider, it would have looked like he was proposing, but to Rachel, it looked like an opportunity to get away. She took off running up the stairs, fully intending on locking herself in her room and calling the police.

Before her short legs could make it up the stairs, she felt her ankle being grabbed. Rachel twisted sideways while falling and her face collided with the banister. She let out a scream of pain as she landed on the stairs.

When she opened her eyes, Jesse was standing over her with a look of pure rage on his face. Rachel was holding her eye, which was throbbing painfully. She was already crying in a mixture of pain and fear.

"Jesse, please just stop," she pleaded.

"This is all your fault, Rachel," Jesse muttered darkly before his hands lunged for her throat again. Letting instinct take over, Rachel shielded her face from further harm the same time that she kicked toward Jesse, trying to keep him away from her.

What she wasn't expecting was to kick Jesse's leg out from under him, sending him tumbling down the stairs. Rachel sat up, crying, and watched as he landed at the bottom of the staircase, unmoving.

She knew that if she went down there to check on him that he would jump up like they always did in scary movies. So, instead of making that mistake, Rachel got up and ran into her room, shutting and locking the door behind her.

Feeling like that wasn't enough distance away from Jesse, she went into her bathroom and shut and locked that door, too. Then, she pulled her phone out from her bag that was around her torso. She glanced at her face in the mirror and saw the already bruised and swollen eye and the busted and swollen lip.

With shaky fingers, she dialed the number of the one person she trusted the most…

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn had just sat down on his couch next to Puck when he heard his phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out and was surprised to see that it was Rachel calling.

"Don't start the game yet, dude," Finn said. "It's Rachel."

"Hurry up," Puck said, rolling his eyes.

Finn hit the green button and put his phone to his ear.  
>"Hey, Rach. What's up?" Finn asked. He then froze when he heard sobbing. "Rachel, what's wrong?" he asked. Noticing his tone, Puck sat up a little straighter and looked at him confusedly.<p>

"It was Jesse!" Rachel choked out. "He… he broke into my house… and… and attacked me!" she said between sobs.

Finn immediately stood up and walked toward the door. "Where are you, Rach?"

"I locked m-myself in the b-bathroom," she cried. "I knocked him down the stairs… but I d-don't know if he's s-still down there."

"Just stay where you are, okay?" Finn said worriedly. "We're on our way."

"Please hurry!" Rachel begged. "I'm so scared."

"I'll hurry," Finn said firmly. "Just call the cops, okay?"

"Okay," Rachel sobbed.

Finn then looked down and realized that Rachel hung up.

"Dude, what's going on?" Puck asked.

Finn was halfway out the door when he yelled behind him. "It's Jesse!"

"Son of a bitch!" Puck cursed before following Finn out the door, shutting it behind him.

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn drove faster than he had ever driven in his life, for once not caring about running over any mail carriers.

Within three minutes, he was at Rachel's. Any other time, the trip would have taken ten minutes.

Finn and Puck jumped out of the car, ready for action. Finn was the first to reach the door and realized that it was locked. He looked at Puck with worry on his face. Puck steeled himself before ramming his shoulder into the door, making it fly open. They both ran into the house and were surprised to hear a banging noise coming from upstairs.

"Open the damn door, Rachel!" Jesse was yelling. "I'm not done with you!" Over the pounding on Rachel's door, Jesse couldn't hear Finn and Puck running up the stairs behind him.

"Open up! This isn't over!" Jesse yelled at the door.

"Yes it is!" Finn shouted. Jesse turned around and looked like a deer in headlights for two seconds before Finn's fist connected with his face. The hit sent Jesse staggering backwards down the hallway. "You son of a bitch! How the hell could you do this to her?" Finn surged forward again and his fist connected perfectly with Jesse's jaw, sending him straight to the ground, knocked out cold. But this didn't stop Finn. He stepped forward and kicked Jesse in the ribs. He kicked again and again before Puck pulled him back.

"Dude, you're gonna kill him!" Puck shouted.

"I don't care," Finn insisted, aiming to kick again.

"I do! Go check on Rachel," Puck said firmly. This made Finn stop in his tracks.

"Keep an eye on him," Finn said to Puck.

Puck looked down at Jesse with disdain.

"He's not going anywhere," Puck said darkly. Finn turned away and walked toward Rachel's door. When Finn couldn't see, Puck aimed his own kick at Jesse's midsection.

Finn's hands were shaking as he reached up to knock on Rachel's door.

"Rach, it's Finn!" he said clearly. He heard the noise of footsteps and then listened as Rachel unlocked the door. She pulled it open quickly and threw herself into Finn's arms, sobbing hysterically.

Finn hugged her tightly, rubbing her back with one of his hands.

"You're okay now," he said soothingly. "It's all over." He held her and rocked her back and forth as her sobs quieted.

She looked up at him and Finn felt like getting sick. Her eye was bruised and almost swollen shut and her lip was huge and bleeding.

He gently reached a hand up and wiped some of the blood from her lip. "I can't believe he did this to you," Finn said, sounding shocked and angry.

"The eye is from him making me fall on the stairs. My face hit the railing," Rachel said with tears in her eyes.

"Did you call the police?" Finn asked.

"Yes," Rachel said quietly. "They should be here any moment."

"I'm so sorry, Rach," Finn said.

"For what?" Rachel said, sounding confused. "You just saved my life. I thought he was going to kill me!"

"I should have walked you inside. I knew Jesse was mad at you and that he'd been hurting you. I should have made sure everything was safe before leaving," Finn said, sounding ashamed.

"You-you knew? H-how?" Rachel asked.

"Kurt saw your bruises," Finn said quickly. "And he heard Jesse arguing with you tonight. And calling you names…" Finn reached up and gently wiped some tears out of her eyes, being careful not to hit her bruise.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Rachel said, more tears falling. "He told me not to. And he scares me, so I listened."

"Well it's all over. Puck's keeping an eye on him," Finn said. "You're safe now." Rachel smiled a real smile, the biggest Finn had seen in weeks. She then wrapped her arms around his middle in the tightest hug she'd ever given him.

They both looked up when they heard sirens. Finn reached for her hand and held it tightly. "Come on," he said. "Let's end this."

-glee-glee-glee-

Finn held her hand the entire time the cops were questioning her. He had to explain that him and Puck were the ones that rammed into her door after Rachel called him and told him what was going on. Rachel had to go with the cops to the ambulance where they took pictures of her injuries. They even took pictures of the ones on her arms as evidence of his previous assaults.

Finn and Puck also gave their statements as to what they saw and heard upon arriving at Rachel's. Finn told the cops about Rachel sobbing to him on the phone, too. As far as Finn knew, there would be no way that Jesse wouldn't be charged with something.

Finn had one arm wrapped firmly around Rachel's shoulders as they watched Jesse being led from the house to a cop car. Puck stood on her other side, holding her hand. She had already tearfully thanked him for his part in everything, too. They had already called Kurt, who was on his way.

The paramedics gave Rachel a once-over and decided that Rachel didn't need to go to the hospital. They gave her an ice pack and put some liquid stitches on the wound on her lip.

Kurt had gotten there once the police and the ambulance were pulling away.

"Oh my God!" Kurt cried as he saw Rachel's condition.

Rachel ran and threw herself into Kurt's arms. He hugged her tightly, needing the comfort. Sure, him and Rachel weren't the best of friends, but they were definitely closer than they had been.

"Thank you for telling," Rachel said. "I couldn't."

Kurt rubbed her back. "I know," he said.

"I hope you know that I officially consider you my friend now. Whether you want me to or not," Rachel said with a watery smile as she let go of Kurt.

"How can I reject someone that looks as pitiful as you?" Kurt said jokingly. Rachel smiled widely. "But do you have any idea how difficult it's going to be to cover up that bruise?" he said, surveying her eye closely.

"I know," Rachel sighed. "But I got it fighting back this time," she said, sounding a little proud.

"You've always been a fighter," Finn said, walking up and standing next to her. Rachel looked up at him and smiled before inviting all of them inside.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel and Finn were in the kitchen, getting Puck and Kurt and themselves something to drink.

"Finn, I feel terrible asking this after everything you've done for me…" Rachel began.

"Just ask, Rach. I'd do anything for you," Finn said. Rachel smiled before continuing.  
>"Well, Finn, I was wondering if you'd… stay here with me until my fathers get back from their trip," she said quickly. "I'm kind of afraid to be alone now."<p>

Finn looked at her sympathetically. "Of course, Rach. Well, I'll have to fill my mom in on everything first, but I'm sure she'll understand," he said.

Rachel walked around the counter and pulled him in for another hug. "Thank you so much," she said firmly. Finn kissed her on top of the head.

"Anytime," he said firmly.

-glee-glee-glee-

An hour later, Finn had already called his mom and filled her in on everything. She had no problem with him staying at all and even insisted on coming and checking on Rachel in the morning. She would bring him clothes so he could change before taking Rachel to school.

Puck and Kurt left shortly after that. She hugged them both goodbye and thanked them for the hundredth time that night. Rachel locked the door behind them after they walked out.

"I'm going to have to change the locks tomorrow," she said.

"You know how to change a lock?" Finn asked.

"No. But I'll buy them. Can you install new locks?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah. No problem," Finn said nonchalantly. Rachel smiled at him. She turned off everything downstairs before leading him up to her room.

"I know this is pushing the limits of weirdness, but do you mind sharing a bed with me?" Rachel asked. "I don't want to be alone… and I feel very safe with you."

Finn had to swallow deeply before he could answer. "No t-that's fine," he said, stuttering a little. "So, uh, how long are your dads gone?"

"Until Sunday evening," Rachel said. "Are you okay staying here that long?"

"Totally," Finn said quickly, making Rachel smile again.

-glee-glee-glee-

Half an hour later, they were both ready to go to sleep. In fact, Rachel was pretty exhausted. Rachel locked the door to her room before climbing into bed.

"How are you feeling?" Finn asked quietly. He was lying on his back, looking at the ceiling. Rachel was lying on her side, facing away from Finn.

"Exhausted. And my face hurts," Rachel said grudgingly.

"Sorry. Do you need anything?" Finn asked,

"Do you think… Can you hold me? I'm still scared," Rachel said quietly. Finn smiled a little before rolling onto his side and scooting closer to Rachel.

"Absolutely," he said. He then stretched his hand across her stomach and pulled her closer to him. Rachel surprised him even more by interlocking their fingers.

"I really can't thank you enough," Rachel said quietly, feeling herself starting to relax and fall asleep.

"Don't mention it," Finn insisted. A few minutes passed and both Rachel and Finn were on the verge of falling asleep.

"I still love you, Finn," Rachel admitted oh-so-quietly.

Finn kissed her on the head. "I know," he said just as quietly. "I love you, too."

They both fell asleep, feeling comforted by each other's presence.

-glee-glee-glee-

A/N: Epilogue coming up soon! Stay tuned :)


	2. Epilogue

A/N: So here's the epilogue all of you are so anxiously awaiting! I hope you like it. Please read and review :)

Beaten Down: Epilogue

"Finn, are you sure it's alright that you stayed here with me today?" Rachel asked nervously from next to Finn. They were on the couch; Finn was watching a rerun football game on ESPN classics and Rachel just sat there, staring into space.

"For like the tenth time today, yes," Finn moaned in annoyance. "My mom even told you it was alright when she brought my stuff this morning."

"I just don't want you missing anything important during school," Rachel explained.

"Rach, even when I'm there, I don't pay attention," Finn said, making Rachel smile.

"I forgot to tell you that Miss Pillsbury called when you were still sleeping," Rachel said, looking at Finn.

"What did she say?" Finn asked, turning his attention from the game to the girl next to him.

"Well, instead of a free period every day, I have to talk to her," Rachel said, shrugging.

"That sucks," Finn said, feeling bad for her.

"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "And I'm not really looking forward to walking around school looking like this tomorrow," she said, pointing to her face.

Finn grimaced. Her lip was still split and her eye was a gross purple color, but the swelling had gone down some in both places.

"Kurt did say that he'd come over and help cover it up," Finn said positively.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm still going to get teased more than usual. I know it." Finn looked at her with a small frown before scooting over and placing his arm around her shoulder.

"I won't let anyone say or do anything to you, Rach," Finn said firmly. "My name's not Jesse. I actually care about you."

Rachel looked up at Finn. "I'm sure he _cared_ about me. Most of the time, he was telling me how I can better myself. It wasn't always violent," she said quietly.

"What are you talking about? You're fine just the way you are. There's nothing that needs changing," Finn said, sounding confused.

"Whatever you say," Rachel said patronizingly. She didn't want to disagree with Finn and make him angry with her. "Do you want some lunch?" Rachel asked, changing the subject. "I can make you some sandwiches using my dad's lunchmeat. Your stomach's been growling for about ten minutes."

"You can hear that?" Finn said, sounding embarrassed.

"Just a little," Rachel said with a small smile. "Do you want anything else with your sandwiches?"

"Some chips would be great," Finn said, smirking.

"I'll be right back," Rachel said, getting up off the couch.

Finn couldn't help but smile wider as she walked away. Hanging out with Rachel was kind of… awesome. Usually when he was with Quinn, she would just yell at him and stuff, but him and Rachel actually _talked_. And she let him watch football all morning even though he knew she had no idea what was going on. Finn was more than willing to ask her to be his girlfriend again, but he knew that she needed some time to get over St. Jackass.

Plus, last night was kind of dramatic, too, so she'd definitely need some time to think through things.

Minutes later, Rachel came walking in with a plate that had two sandwiches on it. A bag of chips was in her other hand.

"Thanks, Rach," Finn said with a smile, grabbing the food from her.

"No problem," Rachel said. "I hope everything's to your liking."

Finn lifted up one of the pieces of bread to see what she put on the sandwich. "I don't really like mustard," Finn admitted. Finn watched her face fall. "I'll eat it anyway though," he said immediately.

"It's fine, Finn," Rachel said, grabbing the plate from him. "I should have remembered you didn't like it. I'm such an idiot sometimes," she said, shaking her head. She got up off the couch and Finn followed her.

"It's no big deal. My mom forgets about it half the time," Finn said. He could tell she was really upset about it.

"I should have remembered, Finn. Jesse yelled at me all the time over how forgetful I am," Rachel said, scolding herself.

"Can we _please_ stop talking about him?" Finn asked, sounding frustrated. "And you're not an idiot, so I wish you'd just stop saying stuff like that. You've been doing it all morning."

"That's because it's true, Finn!" she snapped, setting the plate down on the counter. "I _am_ an idiot, okay? I forget things all the time! And I _know_ I'm annoying, which is why no one can even stand me half the time. I mean, look at the Glee club! They don't even want me around! My fathers are on vacation all the time and even when they're in town, they're working late and don't want to spend time with me! I'm just an annoying waste of space and I really wish you'd be honest and stop saying otherwise!"

"Shut up!" Finn yelled, getting pissed. Rachel flinched away from him and he knew why. He had never yelled at her like that before, but honestly, he was sick of her talking down about herself.

"Rach, I'm sorry," Finn said quietly, stepping toward her. She stepped away from him, obviously scared. "C'mon, Rach. It's me. I'm not going to hurt you." Finn stepped toward her, but she still seemed wary. "Please?" he said, holding his arms open.

After thinking for a second, Rachel walked the few steps between her and Finn and threw herself into his arms. A moment later, Finn heard the unmistakable sound of sobbing. He held her close and ran a hand soothingly up and down her back.

"You're not a waste of space," Finn said softly. "You're _Rachel Berry_. And she's awesome and funny and the best singer I've ever heard. And you're gorgeous, even with that bruise on your face. And you're so freaking smart that I seriously have to carry a dictionary in my backpack to look up stuff after we talk. And you're the strongest person I know, which is the best part of all."

Rachel sniffled before looking up at Finn. "Do you really mean that?" she asked, looking doubtful.

"Totally. And I mean what I said last night, too," he said blushing a little. Rachel looked at him with confusion. "You know, that whole 'I love you' part."

Rachel looked up at him with the most heartbreakingly beautiful smile before hugging him tightly. "I love you too," she said into his chest. "I never stopped."

Finn smiled even though she couldn't see. "I know," he said, kissing the top of her head like he did last night.

-glee-glee-glee-

Rachel was right. The next day at school totally sucked.

_Everyone _was staring. Usually, Rachel would have totally enjoyed it, but not this time.

"Who made the improvements to your face, Berry?" Santana yelled down the hallway. "I'm totally sending a fruit basket."

"What'd you do to piss your boyfriend off, Berry?" Azimio said, chuckling. What made Rachel feel sick to her stomach was the thought that Azimio actually _condoned_ domestic violence. Rachel was suddenly worried for all past, present, and future girlfriends of his.

Rachel did find herself being comforted by Finn. For every laugh or terrible comment, his arm would tighten even more around her shoulders.

It was after her English class that things got scary again.

Rachel was at her locker and saw the football player coming toward her quickly with a slushie in his hand. Knowing the drill, Rachel squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the coldness to slap her in the face. When it finally did, it hurt ten times more than usual due to her recently acquired injuries.

Rachel brought her hands to her face and cried into them. The hallway was filled with laughter until the noise of someone being slammed into the locker made Rachel look up in surprise. She felt more tears fall when she saw Finn pinning the football player to the lockers.

"Apologize," Finn snarled at the football player.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" the football player said in disbelief. "She deserved it!" Rachel watched as Finn swung his right fist, hitting the kid in the gut.

"Finn!" Rachel yelled. He didn't seem to hear her.

"She didn't do anything to deserve it!" Finn shouted. "You and everyone else in this school are just a bunch of assholes!" Rachel ran forward just as Finn was about to hit the kid again. Rachel grabbed his fist.

"Stop!" she yelled at him. Finn turned his head quickly and looked at her. "Finn, you're scaring me," she said quietly. Every single ounce of anger left his expression and he let go of the football player. Seeing this as his chance to escape, the football player ran down the hallway.

"I'm sorry," Finn said, frowning. Rachel smiled at him a little before pulling him in for a hug. "I'm no better than Jesse," he said quietly.

Rachel pulled back quickly and looked at him. "Yes you are," she said firmly. "You stopped."

Finn smiled a little and pulled her in for another hug. "I won't let you see me like that again," he vowed. "I don't want to scare you."

Rachel let go of him again, and he looked confused for a second before she stood on her tippy toes and brought her lips to his.

-glee-glee-glee-

By the time Rachel's dads had gotten back from their business trip, they were surprised to see Rachel so hurt. She told them what had been happening and they blamed themselves for not noticing it before. They thanked Finn for taking such great care of Rachel, but they firmly insisted that that was the end of their sleepovers.

Finn and Rachel had officially become a couple again the next week. By this time, her bruises were fading, but what Jesse had done to her wasn't forgotten. She was getting better with being so hard on herself, but Finn still had to tell her how amazing she is.

He didn't mind.

Two weeks after that, Rachel, Finn, and Puck were summoned to court to testify against Jesse. It was hard for the tree of them to see the pictures of Rachel's injuries from that night. It was even harder for Rachel to give the details about all the attacks. She found herself crying on the witness stand through the entire questioning process.

But then, she'd look to Finn and find the strength to continue.

By the time the entire process was over, Jesse plea bargained for 6 months in a jail and required therapy for his anger issues. He was also told that he could never come into contact with Rachel Berry again. Finn really liked that part of the deal.

Since then, Rachel has become an advocate for victims of domestic violence. She even got three neighboring schools to take part in a talent show to raise funds for victims of domestic violence. They donated the money to the local women's shelter.

"I am so proud of you," Finn said with his arms firmly wrapped around Rachel's waist from behind. The auditorium was now empty and the Glee club had just finished calculating the total amount of donations.

"I'm proud of you, too. I couldn't have collected eight hundred dollars without your help," Rachel said, rubbing his arms affectionately.

"That's awesome, babe, but that's not why I'm proud of you," Finn said. Rachel squirmed out of his arms and turned to face him.

"Why are you proud of me then?" she asked. Finn looked at her closely. The bruises were long gone and the look of despair was no longer in her eyes.

"Because you learned to love yourself again," Finn said with a smile.

"I'm Rachel freaking Berry! I don't know about you, but I think that's a pretty awesome person to be," Rachel said with a wide smile.

"Damn straight," Finn said with a smirk. Rachel giggled before he bent down for another perfect kiss from his perfect girlfriend.

THE END

-glee-glee-glee-

A/N: I know it's short, but I think all the ends are tied up nicely. And Rachel finally figured out how awesome she really is (with Finn's help, of course!) Please read and review and thanks for already having done so for part one!


End file.
